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User blog:Sylvanelite/Overhaul Changes
As part of the Overhaul, here is a list of the changes I have been making. Even though this post is very long - it is only a fraction of the full reasoning and details behind the overhaul. This is just a summary of the changes. I'm not finished with the overhaul just yet - it's still in progress, this is just an informational post. I've tried to post concise reasoning behind every change, but keep in mind the full reasoning is in the various discussions around the wiki. The examples used here are just for illustration. List of Changes Generic Changes replace "sub line" (and related terms) with just "line" * Having Blox part of the NJR leaves no way of knowing when Helic/Imperial part of the NJR ended * Having them separate fixes this, and keeps all existing info replace "re-release" with "release" * currently every release past the original is a "re-release with changes". So no information is lost by removing the "re-" * "re-release" can then be used for things like HMM genobreaker, which was a genuine re-release. use only the release or model name as heading, not both * If there is a release name, use it only: : e.g. "Holotech Liger Zero" on the Liger Zero page can be replaced with just "Holotech". : The article is only about the Liger Zero, so it's redundant to have "Liger Zero" on every heading. * If there is no release name, use the model name: : "Gojulas Mk II Limited" is better than inventing a new name for the release. remove anything about the generic release : e.g. "The King Baron was released as a Grade Up Zoid. Grade up is a line of Zoids ..." * Non-specific Grade up information should be moved to the grade up page. * This avoids duplication, and keeps pages on-topic. * Anything specific can be kept: "the Gilvader has 3 Grade Up ports, all other have 1" Each release section should link to the release article * "The King Baron was released as a Grade Up Zoid." * This should link to the Grade Up article * This improves navigation remove overzealous use of "limited edition" * Every release qualifies as being "limited" in number. (MSS is the only ongoing release - even HMM only produce models for a short time) * If there are a pre-set number of Zoids, that number should be used rather than ambiguous "limited" Articles for releases should be made where they don't exist * This avoids red links Release articles should use a consistent format * Templates greatly improve quality overall The Zoid page should be added to the category for every release it is in - including fan-terms * Allows every release to be maintained, even ones by other names Every change in release should be considered a distinct heading. * (NAR Heading) "The NAR Zoid was re-released in Australia as part of the NPR with minor box changes" * Should become: (NPR Heading) "The Zoid was released in the NPR, branded with TOMY logos..." * This makes information appear in the table of content, rather than hidden in the text Cross-referencing multiple releases should be avoided: * (NAR Heading) "The NJR Zoid was re-released in the NER, and NAR, it was re-coloured to be red" * Should become: (NAR Heading) "The Zoid was released in the NAR, coloured red" * This stops information being buried under unrelated headings Changes in models, without changes in box art, should fall under the same heading: * (NER heading) "The NER Zaber Fang had blunted teeth. Some of the left over stock saw release in the NAR" * Should become: (NAR heading) "The NAR Zaber fang saw two models, one with blunted teeth, one without" * Same reasoning as avoiding cross-referencing. Apply naming conventions when talking about specific Zoids * "Karark" should be used when talking about the OER salamander * This is just enforcement of the wikia rules, the reasoning follows the discussion there Remove X-acto statements: * reads like product-placement, also comes under duplication of information. * Generic construction methods can be moved to the release page if necessary * if a specific Zoid requires exceptional construction methods, it is ok to keep the specifics Remove "dufficulty" statements: * these are subjective, and very little (if any) value is added to the articles. Release names should be consistent: * These all link to different articles: Grade-Up, GradeUP, Grade Up, Grade up, grade up, ... * one should be picked, and the rest become redirects (it doesn't matter which one) Remove "unknown" statements * "This Zoid was seen in an advertisment, everything else is unknown" * Should become: "This Zoid was seen in an advertisment" * If there a specific reason as to why something is unkown, that reason should be added * (for example, the HMM Gojulas hasn't been released, so it's number isn't unknown) Remove relative time based statements * "Currently, the Zoid is being produced" * Should become: "As of 2013, the Zoid is being produced" * This helps identify outdated comments Remove anything about fans that can't be cited * Avoid statements like: "Some fans like this Zoid" * This is from the wiki rules & related discussion Fan terms * these are (rough) translations of what the fan-terms will become. * these are not 100% precise, as the fan-terms are vague to begin with. * NAR -> Hasbro Zoids, Z-Builders, Holotech, Zoids: Build Customize Mobilize, Zoids: Build Customize * NPR -> Z-Builders, Holotech, Zoids: Build Customize Mobilize, Zoids: Build Customize * NER -> Z-Builders, Holotech, Zoids: Build Customize Mobilize, Zoids: Build Customize * NJR -> Zoids (1999) * OAR -> Zoids (1983) * OJR -> Zoids (1983) * OER -> Spider-Man and Zoids * All fan-terms will be removed from the main articles, and replaced with categories. * "Hasbro Zoids" may be removed if the other releases cover all Zoids released by Hasbro. reasoning: citations are impossible for fan-terms. : There is no realistic expectation that the (vastly incomplete) NER and NPR lists can/will be filled out by contributors. : All proposed changes can be cited (either by TOMY information, or by box art). : The information that is "lost" (such as NPR, NAR and NER becoming a single "Build Customize!" release) can be retained by talking about regional aspects of the release (e.g. Australian "Build Customize!" replaces NPR). : Additionally, information that didn't exist with fan-terms (e.g. the distinction between motorized and non-motorized) is now added. Change not done during the overhaul These were identified during the overhaul, but could not be fixed: Remove valueless statements: * e.g. "This Zoid was released in the NPR with some minor changes" * People who know the changes won't add them, because it's already listed. * People who don't know the changes, can't figure them out, because "minor" could be anything. : Unlike removing "unknown" statements, removing valueless ones does delete information. * e.g. the above cannot become: "This Zoid was released in the NPR" as it has lost information about the "minor changes". * Since the statement was valueless in the beginning, this can't be fixed without knowing what the changes were. Changes still needed after the overhaul * citations for every release of every Zoid. (pictures of box art/manuals) * start/end dates needed for every release. * regions needed for every release. * some release pages need the logo and template added. Example from the wiki prior to the overhaul Below are some examples of the quality of the wiki prior to the overhaul. The below information shows how illogical the fan-terms can be at times. There are many more examples that have not been listed here. Holotech Liger Zero : A fourth Liger Zero variant was planned for release by Hasbro in 2003. : The New American Release was cancelled before the Holotech Liger Zero reached production. : Prior to the cancelation of the NAR line, Hasbro released the Liger Zero Holotech as an action figure by Hasbro. Death Stinger (NAR) : After the cancellation of the NAR, the Death Stinger was released in Australia, in the form of leftover American stock. The Zoid was never a part of the New Pacific Release. Category:Blog posts